Here’s the truth of the situation: Because Ohtani and his reps have been very secretive, nobody really knows what he’s looking for. Folks in New York are incredulous as to why he’d have the Padres on his short list but not the Yankees. Any guesses as to why Ohtani might not fit are pretty much strictly speculation at the moment.

So what we’re going to do today is look at how Ohtani fits with the seven finalists from a baseball standpoint. How do his talents match up with what these teams already have, and what they might need to do after they land Ohtani?

Money clearly isn’t Ohtani’s priority; he could be leaving as much as $200 million on the table by not waiting a couple of years to make the jump to MLB. So when we put the amount of bonus money each team has available, it’s for informational purposes only, not as a hint as to what factors might sway his decision-making process.

Sound good? Let’s jump in.

Mariners

Bonus money available: $1,557,500

How Ohtani fits: The Seattle rotation could use him; that has been a revolving door lately, with the inability of top starters Felix Hernandez (41 total starts in 2016-17) and James Paxton (44 total starts in 2016-17) to stay healthy, and the struggles of others who have been in the rotation. Think about this: Thirteen different pitchers started at least four games for the Mariners in 2017, after eight guys started at last eight games for the team in 2016.

The Mariners don’t really have at-bats to give Ohtani at DH, not as long as Nelson Cruz is healthy and producing like he has during his time in Seattle — he’s averaging 42 homers, with a .925 OPS and 4.2 rWAR in his three years with the Mariners. Ben Gamel and Mitch Haniger are the primary corner outfielders on the roster at the moment, but with noted dealer Jerry DiPoto at the controls, who knows what the outfield would look like by spring if they wind up with Ohtani in the mix, too. They are definitely in the market for a center fielder, regardless what happens with Ohtani.

One other thing: Obviously, Ichiro Suzuki reached legend status in the Pacific Northwest almost immediately after he started wearing a Mariners uniform. That has to be a positive, though it’s impossible to know where that rates on Ohtani’s “importance” list.

Giants

Bonus money available: $300,000

How Ohtani fits: Honestly, the Giants need his bat more than they need his arm, even if he gives them only 300 plate appearances. Veteran outfielders Hunter Pence and Denard Span have had injury issues recently, and both are past their peak offensive production years. Jarrett Parker, who tops the depth chart in left field at the moment, is ideally more of a fourth outfielder than a full-time starter. There is a reason the Giants are making a strong pitch for Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton, despite the high costs. Adding both Stanton and Ohtani would be huge for an organization coming off a horribly disappointing 2017.

The Giants have experienced arms in the rotation, but obviously adding a potential star such as Ohtani to a group that includes Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija, Johnny Cueto and Matt Moore would be an improvement, and would also allow the Giants to explore trading one of those veterans to strengthen the team in other areas.

Cubs

Bonus money available: $300,000

How Ohtani fits: They probably have a greater need of Ohtani as a starting pitcher than any of the other teams on this list. The Cubs only have three starters written into the rotation with a Sharpie, with Mike Montgomery and Eddie Butler penciled in at the moment behind Jose Quintana, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. Ohtani isn’t going to duplicate what Jake Arrieta did during his 2015 Cy Young campaign, of course, but it’s not unreasonable to think he could provide the combined 3.81 FIP that Arrieta produced in 2016-17 (allowing that, from what we think we know about how he’d like to be used, he probably won’t average Arrieta’s 30 starts the past two years).

As a hitter/outfielder, Ohtani would be another piece in a very crowded situation, at least immediately. The Cubs already have Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Albert Almora Jr. and Ben Zobrist in the mix. Adding Ohtani would almost certainly mean the Cubs’ brain trust would move one of those pieces, likely in a deal to add another controllable arm to the rotation or the bullpen.

Dodgers

Bonus money available: $300,000

How Ohtani fits: The Dodgers don’t need Ohtani to fill any gaping holes in the major-league roster. They have plenty of rotation options, and they have plenty of outfield options. That said, adding a potential superstar for zero risk is obviously appealing for the club. And for Ohtani, the Dodgers represent an opportunity to regularly compete for a World Series title, which (speculation alert!) figures to be important to Ohtani.

Here’s the thing about L.A.’s rotation: Even though they have eight starters on the MLB.com depth chart, none of those eight made more than 27 starts last year. Everyone missed time with injuries, which means having Ohtani would help with the stability. And even though the Dodgers have plenty of corner outfield options, there’s enough flexibility with that group, position-wise, that Ohtani could find a couple of starts a week. Will that be enough for him to pick the Dodgers?

Angels

Bonus money available: $1,315,000

How Ohtani fits: The Angels are pretty set in both the outfield — superstar Mike Trout in center, with Justin Upton and Kole Calhoun on the corners — and at designated hitter — Albert Pujols — but it’s not like Ohtani is looking for 600 plate appearances a year. Their need is more about the 20 to 25 starts Ohtani could provide for the rotation. The Angels have options, but a healthy Ohtani figures to represent an upgrade over most of those options. And rotation health has been a huge issue for this club; the only two pitchers to make more than 27 starts in a season over the past two years — Jered Weaver (31 in 2016) and Ricky Nolasco (33 in 2017) — are out of the picture in 2018.

Padres

Bonus money available: $300,000

How Ohtani fits: If Ohtani wants to step into a situation where he’s one of the two or three best players on a team immediately, San Diego is that situation (no Padre had an rWAR of more than 2.8 in 2017). He would be the best starter in the Padres’ rotation and, if his transition to the majors is smooth, he could challenge Wil Myers as the club’s best hitter. The Padres can’t offer immediate World Series contention — a selling point for the Dodgers and Cubs — but they can offer the supreme flexibility to allow Ohtani to dictate his entry into the majors.

Rangers

Bonus money available: $3,535,000

How Ohtani fits: The Rangers might have been a bit of a surprise addition to the final group of seven, considering that they aren’t on the West Coast and they’re not a small market (the reasons Yankees GM Brian Cashman listed why his team wasn’t one of the finalists). But remember this: Ohtani is friends with Yu Darvish, his countryman who spent most of his career with the Rangers, and it’s reasonable to think kind words from Darvish are why the Rangers made it to the face-to-face round of the Ohtani sweepstakes. It’s also reasonable to think that, while the giant (relatively speaking) bonus the Rangers can offer won’t be the primary factor, it won’t hurt, either.

And the Rangers definitely have the need for Ohtani, both on the mound (they have only three starters on the current MLB.com depth chart) and at the plate. Rookie Will Calhoun, the prize prospect they got in the Darvish trade, is the starter in left field at the moment, with Nomar Mazara, Delino DeShields, Shin-Soo Choo and Ryan Rua in the outfield/DH mix, too. There will be opportunities for at-bats in that group.